


That Time Kenma Turned Into A Koala

by just_a_hungry_author



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Anxiety, Anxious Kozume Kenma, Congestion, Crying, Crying Kozume Kenma, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff without Plot, Idk If What happens qualifies as a panic attack per se but hes definitely panicking, Kenma is going through a lot, Kozume Kenma & Kuroo Tetsurou Friendship, Kozume Kenma-centric, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou-centric, KuroKen Month, KuroKen Week, KuroKen Week 2020, Laryngitis, Lost Voice, Maybe - Freeform, Panic Attacks, Sick Kozume Kenma, Sickfic, Sleepy Kozume Kenma, Sore throat, Tired Kozume Kenma, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Volleyball Dorks & Nerds, Volleyball Dorks in Love, cough, kenma-centric, runny nose
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 12:27:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24849769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_a_hungry_author/pseuds/just_a_hungry_author
Summary: "Please, justlookat me. Turn your head, Kuroo, please."Kuroo ignored Kenma's pleas (not that he could hear them) and continued to keep his attention on the people he was sitting with.On the inside though, it was taking everything he had to not turn and look at Kenma.He wanted to- God, did he want to- but he was trying to respect the younger's need for space.Kenma needed space, and Kuroo needed to respect that, no matter how much it killed him inside.OR:When Kenma wakes up feeling sick, he spends the day waiting for Kuroo to ask what’s wrong. Kuroo, who thinks that he’s having a bad day, isn’t talking to Kenma, trying to respect his need for space.Oh what a disaster this will turn out to be.
Relationships: Kozume Kenma & Kuroo Tetsurou
Comments: 11
Kudos: 372





	That Time Kenma Turned Into A Koala

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! Thank you for being interested in my story! I’ve never really written Kuroo and Kenma before so I hope my characterization is okay. As always, kudos and comments are greatly appreciated!

Kenma knew before he even opened his eyes that he was in for a rough day. 

He’d been cruelly ripped from his dreamless sleep by the annoyingly loud beep of his alarm. 

Without changing position, Kenma blindly fumbled around to turn it off. 

When the incessant beeping was finally silenced, he mentally groaned as he tried to open his eyes.

It seemed like he'd been covered with glue at some point during the night- he felt hot and sticky and _gross_. 

There were two leading contenders for the overall gross feeling. 

The first was the sheen of sweat plastered to his body. 

The second was the thick mucus that was coating the insides of his chest, nose, and throat.

It took a few blinks for him to actually get his eyes open, and then a few more to get rid of the blurs in his vision once he realized that he genuinely _couldn't see_. 

The blinks didn't completely do the job and Kenma was forced to sit up and rub at his eyes so the image of his room would clear. 

He groaned, purely on instinct, and accidentally sent himself into a harsh coughing fit. 

The cough that was plaguing Kenma’s body was thick, wet, and more than a little uncomfortable.

Although he was so congested that he could practically _hear_ gurgling with every breath, he eventually got his breathing under control. 

The coughing had caused him to figure out that his throat was absolutely _killing_ him, and Kenma sighed. 

"Today won't be fun." 

Kenma nearly jumped, thinking for a second that someone else might be in the room with him. 

That voice didn't sound like it had come from him. 

It was scratchy and quiet and hoarse, not at all like Kenma's. 

He sighed again. "Today _really_ won't be fun." 

Kenma turned the shower up as hot as it could go in an attempt to clear up his congestion.

He quickly washed his hair and scrubbed himself clean of the sweat that had coated him throughout the night, but most of his shower was spent with his head directly under the running water, slowly breathing in the steam.

He _almost_ felt like the congestion was clearing up, but he couldn't spend too long in the shower if he wanted to be on time for school. 

Well... not that he really _wanted_ to be on time... 

Kenma begrudgingly pushed that thought away and turned off the water.

As soon as he stepped out of the steam he could feel the congestion start to come back, and he sighed as he dried himself off. 

After getting dressed he quickly ran a toothbrush over his teeth, and he'd just finished tying his shoes when his phone vibrated. 

He glanced over to see that he had a text from Kuroo. 

_Hey, I kinda overslept so I'm gonna be a little late to yours. See you in ten?_

Kenma frowned at the text. 

He really wasn't in the mood to see anybody right now. He'd get enough of that later while he was in school. 

But Kuroo was _Kuroo_. He was different. 

Kenma's thumbs hovered over the keyboard for a moment before the blonde finally made a decision. 

_I'll walk by myself today_. 

It was a little blunt but it couldn't be helped. 

He didn't have the energy to be empathetic. 

He just wanted to get through the day in one piece. 

Kuroo frowned at the text from Kenma. 

They always walked to school together, except on bad days. 

Really bad days. 

Kuroo pulled his bag over his shoulder and texted back a simple 'okay'. 

Admittedly he _was_ a little upset, but that thought had barely passed his mind before he was putting Kenma's needs before his own.

They'd come up with a color system for Kenma to communicate how he was feeling on any particular day: green, yellow, and red. 

Although he hadn't sent a color, Kuroo reasoned that Kenma probably wasn't having a good day. 

It wasn't the worst it could’ve been- on really bad red days Kenma would skip school- but Kuroo figured that he must be pretty damn close to a red day if he didn't even want to walk to school with anyone else. 

Hoping to put the younger’s mind at least a little at ease, Kuroo sent out a mass text to the volleyball team, telling them Kenma was having a bad day and not to bother him. 

Sure, it would've been easier to just start a group text for days like this, but Kuroo didn't want Kenma to feel left out. 

Even if he _did_ manage to explain why the group chat was made, he knew it would secretly drive Kenma's anxiety up the wall to know that they all had a means to talk about him behind his back. 

No, mass texting was better. 

Protecting Kenma was better. 

Kenma managed to suffer through all of his morning classes with sniffles and clearings of his throat, but thankfully no coughing. 

Coughing would draw attention.

Luckily for Kenma he was reserved and unengaged with class on a daily basis- his teachers had stopped trying to call on him before they'd even made it through the first week of school. 

So when there came days like this, when he really didn't want to be in school, he was unbothered. 

Not that he _could_ talk even if a teacher did try to call on him. 

He was quiet enough as it was, but the volume of his voice now was just barely above a whisper.

Not to mention the hoarse scratchiness of his voice made him pretty difficult to understand. 

It would be frustrating for everyone involved if he was called on to answer a question.

In between classes while walking through the halls, he crossed paths with Yamamoto, Yaku, and Lev.

He'd been worried that Yamamoto was going to try and start talking to him, but the mohawked-teen just smiled and gave him a peace sign as they walked past each other to their second classes.

While walking to his third class, he spotted Yaku talking to some other kids across the hall. 

The libero had offered Kenma a sympathetic looking smile from the other side of the hallway before continuing on in his conversation.

Even Lev hadn't come over to start talking, which Kenma was grateful for.

His resolve was starting to crack, and he was feeling worse by the second. 

He didn't have it in him to try and pretend that he cared about whatever anyone tried to talk to him about. 

It was in his final class before lunch that Kenma really started to wish he hadn't come in to school. 

His nose had gotten so stuffed that he was being forced to breath through his mouth, and he had a multitude of problems on top of that.

First on the list was that he didn't want to breathe too loudly and draw attention to himself. 

Second was that he had to keep clearing his throat, and the noise was very loud in the quiet atmosphere of the classroom, at least in Kenma's mind.

The third was that he really needed to blow his nose and even though he could _see_ the tissue box sitting on the teacher's desk, he couldn't bring himself to stand up and grab a couple. 

Long story short, his social anxiety was through the roof. 

For a brief moment he considered going to the nurse, but he brushed that thought aside immediately. 

He couldn't even get himself to stand up and walk across the room for a tissue, let alone ask the teacher if he could leave class. 

Then, if he made it past the whole 'asking to go to the nurse' hurtle, he'd have to explain to the nurse what was wrong with him, and he could barely talk as it was. 

Even if the sickness wasn't making things hard enough, his anxiety definitely wouldn't allow it.

Up to this point he didn't even want Kuroo to-

And that was when it hit him. 

Kuroo. 

He hadn't seen the older boy all day, conflicting schedules and all, and Kuroo hadn't texted him since that morning. 

But Kenma quickly realized that Kuroo may be his saving grace. 

If he told the older teen what was wrong, then maybe Kuroo would talk to the nurse and get them to send him home. 

Sure, he hadn't wanted Kuroo to know earlier on in the day, mostly because he didn't want him to worry, but the suffocating feeling and the scratching in his throat was really pushing him over the edge.

He didn't feel like he could make it through the rest of the day, let alone practice. 

Even though he still got a little choked up when thinking about saying it outright, Kenma decided then and there that if Kuroo asked, he would tell him.

" _Please, Kuroo_." Kenma thought. " _Please ask_."

The last thing Kenma wanted on that day was to be in a crowded area, but Kuroo was eating his lunch outside in the courtyard. 

He positioned himself far away from the captain, but there was a direct line of sight between them. 

Hopefully Kuroo would look up and walk over to check on him. 

Then he could go home. 

Kenma didn't bother opening up his lunch, he wasn't hungry at all. 

He instead opted for pulling a bottle of water out of his bag and sipping at it slowly. 

The cool liquid eased the scratching in his throat, so he nursed the bottle while keeping his eyes locked on Kuroo, silently willing the older to turn his head. 

Unfortunately, Kuroo was busy talking and laughing with his friends, not even sparing a glance in his direction. 

Kenma was getting more desperate as time and went on, and his thoughts became more frantic. 

" _Please, just **look** at me. Turn your head, Kuroo, please_." 

Kuroo ignored Kenma's pleas (not that he could hear them) and continued to keep his attention on the people he was sitting with. 

On the inside though, it was taking everything he had to not turn and look at Kenma. 

He wanted to- God, did he want to- but he was trying to respect the younger's need for space. 

Kenma didn't want to walk together this morning, so in Kuroo's mind that had sent a message: It's a bad day, I need to be alone. 

He knew that Kenma was sitting across the courtyard, he'd seen the blonde come outside. 

But he hadn't come over, he hadn't texted, he hadn't looked at Kuroo when he walked out. 

For a moment Kuroo had considered going over to where Kenma was sitting, but he practically shoved that thought away. 

Kenma needed space, and Kuroo needed to respect that, no matter how much it killed him inside. 

Kenma was watching intently, waiting for the moment that Kuroo would look at him. 

He knew that Kuroo would look at him and know something was wrong, and then everything would be okay. 

He was waiting, waiting, waiting. 

So when Kuroo stood up and walked back into the school, Kenma's heart _shattered._

Watching the older teen go inside without even _glancing_ his way was like a punch to the stomach, and Kenma felt his face start to burn. 

Reaching into his pocket without thinking, he fumbled around for his phone. 

He turned it on through watery eyes, but a notification popped up on the screen.

 _Software Update In Progress - Phone Will Restart In Twenty Five Minutes_. 

Kenma felt his chest tighten and he had to stuff his phone back into his pocket to stop himself from chucking it against the wall. 

He stood up as tears started to spill over.

Without a second thought he ran inside, pushing his way through the crowds and into the nearest bathroom. 

He immediately rushed inside and into a stall, locking the door behind him. 

When he was locked in the stall he allowed the first sob to escape, an anguished cry that bubbled up in his chest and forced its way out. 

One sob turned into two, then two quickly turned to three, and Kenma was full-on crying within seconds. 

He just wanted to go home and pretend that today didn't happen. 

He wanted to turn off the lights and curl up in his bed and sleep the rest of the day away.

But he couldn't even find the strength to walk to the Nurse's Office and try and explain what was wrong, even if he could talk. 

He instinctively pressed the sleeves of his blazer into his eyes, not caring about how wet they were getting. 

He was starting to cough as he cried, a thick, wet cough that was rattling his chest. 

The more he cried the more unstable his breathing became, and it quickly got to the point where Kenma sounded like he was hyperventilating.

He was starting to panic at the thought of hyperventilating, he could pass out and then somebody would find him on the floor and-

Suddenly there was a knock on the door of the stall. "Hey, buddy? You okay in there?" 

That voice. 

Kenma knew that voice. 

He spun around and unlocked the door without a second thought, throwing himself at Kuroo and wrapping himself around the teen like a koala. 

Kuroo could barely speak. "K-Kenma?" 

Kenma just crumbled, letting the sobs out freely and coughing harshly as his tears continued to pour.

Kuroo wrapped his arms around the younger, rubbing circles on Kenma's back as a million thoughts raced through his head.

The older teen had been washing his hands when Kenma burst through the door, though he didn't know it was him at the time. 

Even with his quick volleyball reflexes, by the time he turned his head the stall door was already slamming shut. 

It was when the crying started that he'd really got concerned about the person inside, not even knowing that it was his closest friend.

Kenma started to calm down after a couple of minutes, at least enough that it didn't sound like he was hyperventilating anymore. 

"Kenma," Kuroo said softly, "What's going on?" 

Kenma just slowly shook his head against Kuroo's chest.

"You don't want to talk?" Kuroo asked. "Okay, um... just nod or shake your head okay? Is this because it's a red day?" 

A slow shake. 

"Okay..." 

Kuroo truly didn't know where to go from there. 

He'd assumed that Kenma's kind-of-red day must have progressed into a red day, because what else could cause Kenma to break down like this? 

Not unless... 

Kuroo's temper flared at the thought. "Did someone say something to you?" 

"Kuroo," Kenma started softly, his voice horse and quiet. "No." 

Kuroo was taken aback at the sound of Kenma.

No way that was because of the crying. 

"What happened to your voice?" 

Kenma finally pulled away from Kuroo, wiping at his eyes and sniffling. 

"I don't feel good." He said between coughs. 

Kuroo frowned. "You mean like, you're sick?" 

Kenma nodded. 

"What's wrong?" 

"My throat... and my chest..." 

"Why didn't you tell me?" 

It was hard to talk, and Kenma had to keep stopping and coughing, but he couldn't help his ranting once he got started.

"I thought I could just push through today but when I realized I couldn't I didn't want to go to the nurse and then I sat in the courtyard at lunch and I _was waiting_ for you to look at me and ask what was wrong but you never did and I tried to text you but my stupid phone was off and-"

"Okay, okay." Kuroo interrupted. "Calm down." 

Kenma sniffed and wiped at his eyes. "I want to go home." 

"Okay, we can go home." 

Kuroo grabbed a handful of toilet paper and gave it to Kenma. "We can get you some tissues from the nurse, but you probably want to clean your face up a little before we walk through the halls." 

Kuroo watched as Kenma blew his nose, then moved over to the sink and started washing his face. 

Now that he was actually looking, Kuroo could see that Kenma looked _terrible_. 

He was pale under the heat that was flaring his face, and his eyes were rimmed red because of the crying he'd just done. 

His hands shook as he reached for the paper towels, and rough coughs were rattling his thin frame every few breaths. 

Overall, he looked sick and sad and small and... frail.

" _I should have seen it_." Kuroo thought. " _I should've gone to him at lunch, I should've known_." 

A small, scratchy voice pulled him from his thoughts. "Kuroo?" 

"What's up?" 

"Can... can you talk to the nurse for me?" 

"Of course." Kuroo replied. "Are you ready?" 

Kenma nodded. 

Thankfully there weren't a lot of people in the hall as Kenma and Kuroo walked to the Nurse's Office. 

As they walked inside Kenma immediately moved to sit in the plastic chairs to the right of the door. 

He kept his head and his eyes down as he sat, thankful that there was only one other student inside, a young black-haired kid who was holding an ice pack to the side of his head. 

The nurse looked up from her desk with a smile, eyeing Kuroo and Kenma. "Can I help you?" 

"Yeah," Kuroo started, "Can we talk in private?" 

The nurse frowned. "Is everything okay?" 

Kuroo nodded. "It'll just be easier if we talk in the back." 

The nurse stood and led Kuroo to the back of the office where the beds were. 

Kuroo went on to explain what was wrong with Kenma, leaving out the part where he'd found him crying in the bathroom. 

Luckily the nurse was very understanding about the situation. 

"He's really anxious about this whole thing," Kuroo started. "So if we could just be discreet about it?" 

"Sure." The nurse said with a sympathetic smile. 

They walked back to the front and the nurse kneeled down to Kenma's level. 

"Hi Kenma, Kuroo here tells me you're not feeling well, so I'm going to send you home for the day. Is your parents' contact information still the same?" 

"They're not home." Kenma mumbled. "Away on business." 

The nurse frowned. "Oh, well-"

"I'll take him home." Kuroo volunteered. "I'll sign myself out." 

Kenma looked up. "Kuroo, you can't. There's volleyball-"

"You're more important than volleyball." 

Forty five minutes and a short trip to the drugstore later, Kuroo and Kenma were stepping into Kenma's house. 

Well, Kuroo was. 

The older teen had lifted Kenma onto his back the second their school was out of view.

He was sure that the younger had fallen asleep against his shoulder a few times, but he'd been awake every time Kuroo glanced back at him.

They'd picked up a bagful of supplies from the drugstore- tissues, soup, cough medicine, and despite Kenma's protests that he didn't need it, a humidifier. 

Kuroo let Kenma off of his back once they got inside and handed him the humidifier.

"I'm gonna make you this soup so you can take some cough medicine, okay?" Kuroo started. "Why don't you go lay down?" 

Kenma nodded, but stopped on the way towards his room. "Kuroo?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Did you mean it?" 

Kuroo paused. "Mean what?" 

"When you said I was more important than volleyball." 

Kuroo smiled. "Of course I did, Kitten. You're top of the list."

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like I definitely read that “You’re more important than volleyball” in a different fic so if I accidentally plagiarized from you I’m sorry! 
> 
> Please comment if you enjoyed, reading them makes my day!


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